WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The White House noted Al-Hayali was a senior deputy to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and a main coordinator for moving weapons, explosives, vehicles, and people between Iraq and Syria.
"Fadhil Ahmad al-Hayali, also known as Hajji Mutazz, the second in command of the terrorist group ISIL [Islamic State], was killed in a US military air strike on August 18 while traveling in a vehicle near Mosul, Iraq, along with an ISIL media operative known as Abu Abdullah."
ISIL is a violent extremist group that has seized large areas in Iraq and Syria, establishing a caliphate on territories under their control. The extremist group is being countered by Syrian and Iraqi government forces, Syrian and Iraqi Kurds, as well as a US-led international coalition.
"He supported ISIL operations in both countries and was in charge of ISIL operations in Iraq, where he was instrumental in planning operations over the past two years, including the ISIL offensive in Mosul in June 2014."
